


Sabine Cheng: Part/Time Hero

by Ronoken



Series: The Miraculous World of Gina Agreste [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Awesome Sabine Cheng, Badass Sabine Cheng, Don't Mess with Sabine, Gen, Good Parent Sabine Cheng, Good Parents Sabine Cheng & Tom Dupain, Grandparents are Cool, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Multimouse, Sabine Cheng Knows, Supportive Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), Time Travel, faunus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24046276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ronoken/pseuds/Ronoken
Summary: Sabine closed her eyes and smiled as she shook her head. “Well first off, if it helps, I have little room to talk. Your father and I first got to, well, know each other on our class trip to Versailles. Hall of mirrors, indeed.”Gina let out a guffaw. “Damn, Gramma’s got game!”Sabine nodded and fist bumped Gina. “Yes, I do. I do have game.”Marinette put her face in her hands. “Mom, please stop.”“I’m just saying, I understand. Still, I don’t necessarily approve, young lady…”Marinette glanced up from her hands. “I’m 37, Mom.”Alix smirked. “You weren’t then.”***When an akuma attacks while Marinette and her friends are on summer vacation, Sabine scrambles to find anyone that can help. In doing so, she might have made a bigger mess than she had planned for.This one has it all, folks! Time travel! A new hero emerges! Lots of violence! A Multimouse cameo! Sabine talking smack! Secrets revelaed! Also, who's up for some family bonding?
Relationships: Sabine Cheng & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: The Miraculous World of Gina Agreste [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726510
Comments: 15
Kudos: 106
Collections: The What To Do Series





	Sabine Cheng: Part/Time Hero

It was a normal, if not cloudy, Thursday afternoon as Sabine Cheng took a well-deserved break from running the counter. She and Tom had been up since four, which was normal for bakers, but still. The morning rush had been brutal, and the lunchtime crowd hadn’t been much better. On top of that, Sabine was still trying to design a chrysanthemum themed wedding cake for a rather picky client and get an order ready for a business seminar.

In short, she was pooped.

Fortunately, the bakery tended to close around four in the afternoon, so as soon as the counters were wiped down and she was sure Tom was off his feet, Sabine headed upstairs to the bath. The cake and orders could wait for one blessed hour as she lit some candles, grabbed a trashy vampire romance novel, poured a glass of chardonnay and settled in for a long, bubbly soak.

But of course, a story about Sabine taking a bath wouldn’t be _that_ exciting, would it?

I mean, like, if that’s what you’re here for, I won’t judge. It’s just, this probably isn’t the type of fic you’re looking for in that case. Fair warning.

She was only two pages into a book she had swiped from Marinette’s shelf, _The Vampire and the Sea Wench,_ and had juuuust started to unwind when her phone vibrated beside the tub. Sabine yelped and caught it before it could buzz itself right into the water. She looked and bit her lip as an akuma alert flashed across the screen.

“Oh no,” she murmured to herself. She tried to swipe her phone open to check, cursed, tried to quickly wipe her fingers on a nearby towel, and then successfully swiped her phone open to check. Sure enough, there was what looked like a purple and green woodsman marching down the middle of the road. He was swinging his axe wildly, and everything he hit was transforming into trees. Cars, lamp poles, people, everything.

“Citizens of Paris! I am Arborial! You dared to destroy the ancient forests that covered this land? Well, I’m here to bring them back!” He took a swing at the news crew that was trying to film him. While he missed the camera, Arborial was able to nail Nadja. The news anchor let out a squeak as she fell and transformed into what looked like a spruce.

Sabine frowned. Normally, this would be a job for Ladybug and Chat Noir. They would swoop in, assess the situation, and then use their fantastic powers to put everything right.

Normally… Except for one small problem.

Yesterday, Sabine, Tom, and a host of other parents had bid their children farewell as they boarded the high-speed line to the Spanish coast for a summer trip. The heroes of Paris were hundreds of miles away and most likely lounging on a beach somewhere.

“This isn’t good,” Sabine said as she quickly got out of the tub and grabbed her pink, fluffy robe. See, Sabine wasn’t stupid. Of course she wasn’t. After all, Marinette had to get her smarts from somewhere. She knew a lot. In fact, she knew more than she probably should.

Which was why she was worried. She _knew_ the heroes of Paris were nowhere to be found.

Sabine scrolled through her phone until she found the number she was looking for. In a panic, she dialed the only other person she knew of that had any idea how to help.

A pleasant voice answered. In the background was the sound of a baby screaming. “Hello?”

“Caline?” Sabine said frantically. Caline Bustier, now Caline Bourgeois, was the only person Sabine knew of that knew about her daughter’s part-time job. Heck, they had even had an adventure together some months ago. Caline had a miraculous. Caline would know what to do.

“Sabine, hello!” Caline said. Sabine could hear the smile in the woman’s voice. “Sorry about the noise. Camille is, um, well, she’s a bit colicky.”

Sabine smiled, remembering Marinette’s sleepless three-month stint. “I am so sorry for you. Is André taking any of the load off your shoulders?”

“Him, Chloé, and Jean. We all take turns. It’s the only way any of us can get any sleep,” Caline laughed. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Sabine’s voice lowered a bit. “Did you see the akuma alert?”

There was a pause. “Oh,” Caline said. “Ohhhh dear. Um, yes? I’m watching it live, actually. It’s on channel 4. And, um, I’m afraid I can’t really help. Chloé is on the class trip, and I, well, I gave mine back.”

Sabine blinked. “You… Gave yours _back_?”

“I can’t parade around Paris with a baby in tow. I told… Someone… That I might take it back up when Camille is a bit older, but for right now, I’m afraid I’m retired.”

Sabine sighed. “Okay, so do you know of anyone else in town that might be able to do something about this? Anyone at all?”

Sabine could almost feel Caline shrug through the phone. “Honestly, I think most of the protectors of the city are in Spain. Except for Ryuuko, but I never learned who she was, and from what I understand, she’s hard to get a hold of.”

Sabine closed her eyes and rubbed the front of her face. “Okay. Okay. Well, that, um, wow. This could be a problem.”

Caline paused, her words slow and careful as she spoke. “Sabine, MarrrrlllLadybug. Ladybug mentioned something to me once. Something about a case. Maybe they’re all still there in her room? Or, you know, at least some of them?”

Sabine thought about this.

“Thanks, Caline. I think… I think I know what to do from here.”

Sabine hung up as she grabbed her cozy red sweats and headed for her daughter’s room.

Marinette was the type of person who was spread a thousand different ways all the time. As such, one would imagine her room to be more of a pit. Sabine smiled as she took in the unusually tidy teenage bedroom. Marinette may have been scattered, but in terms of her living space, she was on point.

Sabine swept through her room with the deftness and critical eye that all mothers possess. It didn’t take her long to find what she was looking for; a red and black jewelry case buried under some clothes in her closet.

“That’s new,” she said to herself. Sabine made a point of looking through her daughter’s room. You know, for reasons. The large, expensive jewelry case was something she had never seen before, and Sabine was quickly able to put two and two together.

Fortunately for Sabine, Marinette had moved the case only a week ago. Normally, she kept it in a storage locker so she and Chat Noir could have easy access, but since she was heading out of town and she had heard Chat was going off with family, she decided it would be better to keep it closer to home.

“Huh,” Sabine said, staring at the Ladybug-themed container. It certainly _looked_ like an ordinary jewelry box. Sabine counted the drawers on the side and gave a low whistle. “So many… There’s got to be something in here that can help,” she said to herself as she opened the first drawer she came to.

Inside was a pocket watch.

Curious, Sabine picked it up and opened it. Instantly, a white spark zoomed out of it and swirled around her several times before stopping in front of her face.

“Hello,” the overly adorable floating white rabbit said. “I’m Fluff! Am I your kwami today? Or was that yesterday? It could have been tomorrow. Has tomorrow already happened?” He blinked. “You’re not Alix, are you?”

Sabine blinked, confused. “Um, hello? No, I’m, um, I’m Sabine. Are you,” she looked at the case and then at Fluff. “Um, are you like the red one? Tikki?”

Fluff nodded. “I’m a kwami, so yes, but I’m the kwami of time. Tikki was the kwami of creation.” Fluff pouted a bit. “She’s so lucky like that. Time is cool too, though.”

“Time?” Sabine asked, confused. She shook her head. “Okay, you know what? This works. Fluff, I need help.” Sabine held up her phone to show the floating rabbit the destruction playing out in midtown. At this point, half the police force had been turned into trees.

“Oh my,” Fluff said. “I remember this. Yes. Very tragic indeed. Where are the heroes? They should have been there by now, or were they there already?”

“Ladybug and Chat Noir aren’t here. Most of the heroes are gone this week.” Sabine frowned at Fluff. “Can you help me stop this?”

“I’m not much of a fighter, to tell the truth,” Fluff said. “I’m more of a support kwami.”

“There has to be _someone_ that can help,” Sabine said, a panic rising in her voice. “If not you, then, well, is there anyone you can think of?”

Fluff patted his adorable face in thought. “Well, why don’t you ask the nearest miraculous holder?”

Sabine stared at the kwami. “Where _is_ the nearest miraculous holder?”

Fluff closed his eyes and thought very hard. “Well, it’s hard to say exactly, but… Downstairs? In the bakery?”

Sabine grabbed the pocket watch and raced downstairs. She nearly burst into the shop section of the bakery, but there was no one there. The lights were out, and a CLOSED sign was still hanging in the window.

“I don’t understand,” Sabine said, confused. She looked to Fluff, who was hovering by her shoulder. “You said they were downstairs!”

“Hmmm,” Fluff thought about it. “Oh my, maybe they were? Or will be? It would help if you transformed. If you went into the Burrow, you could find them, no problem!”

Sabine nodded. “Okay rabbit, how do we do this?”

“Say Fluff, clockwise to transform into the guardian of time.”

Sabine nodded. She held out the pocket watch and braced herself. “Fluff, clockwise!”

In a flash of white, Sabine found herself transformed. She looked down at herself and saw she had been squeezed into a blue and white bodysuit. She felt something on her back, and when she reached around, she saw it was an umbrella.

“Huh,” Sabine said, curious. “Okay, so I’m transformed. Again.” She looked at herself and compared this time to when she had borrowed Tikki. “These things are amazing. But how do I get to the Burrow Fluff was… Oh!”

At the mention of the word Burrow, a white light appeared in front of Sabine. Cautiously, she reached out and through it. “Okay,” she said as she swallowed back her fear, closed her eyes, and stepped through.

Sabine found herself in a vast room surrounded by screens. Some of them showed what looked like the ancient past, some were showing her daughter and her friends on the beach, sunning themselves and chatting, while others appeared to be some future version of Paris.

“What is this place?” Sabine murmured as she walked along a thin, white platform. She stopped when she came to a large oval that showed what looked like her bakery.

Sabine looked into the oval and squinted. There was someone behind the counter laying out muffins, but she couldn’t quite see who. Behind her was…

“Oh, my God,” Sabine whispered.

It was Sabine, but much older. Her blue hair had gone silver, and she looked smaller, slower, frail.

She looked… Old.

Sabine watched, transfixed as the older version of herself smiled at the stranger stacking shelves and untied her apron as she left the front. A moment later, Sabine saw something float out of the stranger’s pocket and hover beside her.

“That must be the miraculous user Fluff mentioned,” Sabine said. “Okay, so how do I…?”

Sabine yelped as she touched the screen and found herself falling through it. A moment later, she was bathed in light.

***

Gina Agreste clapped the flour and crumbs off her hands as she finished placing the last of tomorrow mornings muffins for her grandmother. She was staying the weekend at her grandparents, and by she, I mean just her. Emilie was busy touring colleges and her parents had a fashion review they were helping to sponsor in Berlin, so Gina had been left to her own devices.

For most teens, this would have meant partying, sneaking around, maybe some nookie, you know. Teen stuff. For Gina, it meant time with Grandpa and Gramma.

Yeah, I know. Hear me out.

It meant full access to the upstairs bedroom, unlimited pastries, and hilariously awful stories about her mom. It meant video games with Grandpa and late night, awful R-rated movies with Gramma. It meant lots of omelets, big dinners, walks by the river, and most of all, uninterrupted attention.

Gina knew that her grandparents still mostly treated her like she was ten, but when it came to them, it was okay. Considering the pressures of school, her new part time job as a server at a local café, and her _other_ part time job as a superhero in the evenings, Gina welcomed being pampered.

And while she loved her parents to pieces, they did have to work a lot. Having nonstop family love was equal parts welcome and unnerving for the anxious teen.

Also, did I mention the unlimited pastries?

“Gramma, what do you want me to do with the old scones?” Gina called out. She had removed a half-empty tray that had been in the front case for a day already.

“You can have them, dear,” Sabine called out. “Just finish laying out the pastries for the morning rush and I think we’re done for the day.”

“Score,” Gina said as she grinned. Her jean jacket was hanging on a hook in the back and had been replaced by a baker’s apron, which covered a black _Kitty Section_ tee shirt and acid washed jeans. Her wire-rimmed glasses were continually sliding down her pale, freckled nose, and her two black barrettes were keeping her mop of brown hair out of her eyes.

“Ya gonna eat all o’ them yerself?” Ziggy, her goat kwami, asked as he floated beside her.

“Nah, I figure you can have half, Ziggs.” Gina slid the pastries into a clear plastic container and sealed it up.

“What about the rest?” Ziggy asked. Gina handed him a scone for good measure, which he promptly started chewing.

“Well, I figured I’d meet up with André at the park and, you know, hang or something.”

Ziggy shot her some side-eye as her cheeks flared with a light blush. “Or somethin’, huh?”

“Not now, Ziggs,” Gina sighed. “He’s a friend.” Gina glanced off to the side, surprised by how unsure her own voice sounded. “Just a friend that happens to be a boy.”

“He’s got real purdy eyes, don’t he?” Ziggy asked.

Gina absently nodded. “They’re nice, I guess. I… Ziggs!”

Ziggy guffawed as Gina took a swipe at him and missed.

“Don’t be a jerk,” Gina grumbled. “He’s a friend and that’s about all I can handle right now, okay?”

“Gina?” Sabine called out from the back room. “Did you want to invite your friend André over for dinner tonight?”

“Goddammit,” Gina muttered. “Sure, Gramma! I’ll text him!” She glared at the now-grinning kwami. “Did you say something to them?”

Ziggy shook his head. “No, Miss Gina. She’s just that clever, I reckon.”

“I reckon,” Gina said as she took a bite of an apple scone. “These are so _good_. Seriously, like, mom is good at baking, but Gramma and Grandpa are clearly masters at their craft. This…”

A white portal opened in the middle of the bakery.

Normally, this would be concerning for multiple reasons, but considering the bakery was now closed and that Gina was more than a little used to her Aunt Alix popping in from time to time, this really wasn’t a surprise.

At least it wasn’t, until someone who was very much NOT Aunt Alix emerged.

Sabine looked around, confused. It was her bakery, of that she was certain. Still, the trays looked newer, the walls had been painted a festive shade of yellow, and the girl behind the counter…

Sabine and Gina blinked at each other for several seconds as the white portal silently closed.

“Um, we’re closed?” Gina offered, unsure of what else she was supposed to say.

Sabine looked closely at the teen before her eyes went huge with recognition. “Gina?!”

Gina slowly nodded. “Yeeees? You’re not Aunt Ali…. You’re not Bunnyx. Who are you? Why are you in my grandparent’s bakery?”

“Grandparents?” Sabine whispered. In her head, so many gears were turning that she was about to pop a spring.

Gina nodded as Ziggy floated beside her. “Whelp, this is certainly different, ain’t it, Miss Gina?”

Gina stood a little straighter and tried to stare down the superpowered stranger in front of her. “I’ll ask again, who are you?”

That would have sounded so much cooler had her voice not cracked midway through.

Sabine’s mouth opened and closed several times before she was able to find her voice. “But you’ve been to my home,” she whispered. “How… How is this possible?”

Ziggy leaned into Gina and loudly whispered, “I think she’s a few chickens short of a coop.”

“Ziggs, shush,” Gina said, annoyed. She shooed her kwami and took a step closer to not-Bunnyx. “You look familiar.”

Sabine nearly started crying. “I… You’re… How do I change back?”

Gina eyed her for a moment and said, “Say Fluff, counterclockwise.”

“Fluff,” Sabine said, her eyes locked squarely on Gina. “Counterclockwise.”

One flash of light later, and Gina’s jaw hit the floor.

“GRAMMA?!” Gina shouted.

Sabine frantically gestured for Gina to quiet down as the older Sabine called out, “Yes? Is something the matter, dear?”

Gina looked from Sabine to the doorway and then back to Sabine. “Um, I’m done! Mind if I head out for a second?”

“Of course not, dear! Dinner is at seven!”

Gina quickly ripped her apron off and grabbed her jean jacket before coming around the counter. In a blink, she grabbed Sabine by the arm. “Thanks! Love you! Bye!” She called out as she quickly ushered Sabine out the door.

Sabine let herself get dragged for about a block before Gina spun around and put her hands to her mouth. “What are you doing here?” Gina said, stunned. “How did you get Fluff? What is this?”

Sabine took a moment to study Gina’s face. She reached out and hesitantly put her hand to Gina’s cheek. “Oh God, I can see it,” Sabine choked out. “I can see it. You’re… I have a granddaughter?”

Gina swallowed and nodded. “Um, hi? I’m pretty sure we’ve met before. Um,” she eyed Sabine carefully. “ _Have_ we met before? If so, thanks again for the cake. Time travel is messy.”

Sabine nodded. “I made you a cake,” she murmured. “Why didn’t Marinette tell me? You’re my, my, you’re my grandchild?! I would have gone all-out for your birthday!”

Gina rubbed the back of her head and blushed. “Um, you weren’t supposed to know? No one was, actually. Mom, um, figured it out by accident.”

“You even had dinner with us,” Sabine said, still stunned. “All this time, I thought you were just Mari’s friend.”

Gina shrugged and blushed as she looked away. “I mean, I am, I guess? Um, with your, um, my mom. I mean, your Mari? Marinette? I’m friends with that Mom.” She rubbed her face. “God, this is confusing.”

Sabine shook her head and swept Gina into a tight hug. “I have a granddaughter!” She cried out.

Gina awkwardly hugged her back. She looked around and saw several passers-by staring at them. “Um, you do, and you’re squishing her. Gramma?”

Sabine choked out a laugh and let her go, and then took the sight of her in. She reached out and adjusted Gina’s jacket as she grinned. “I just can’t believe this.”

“Um, excuse me?”

The tiny voice came from the front pocket of Sabine’s red sweats. She looked down and saw Fluff glancing up at her. “Do you have anything to eat?”

Gina snickered and slipped a scone out of her pocket. “I was sneaking this for later. Here ya go,” she handed the kwami a snack, which he hungrily devoured. “Soooo,” she slid her hands into her pockets and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. “What brings you by?”

Sabine gestured to her pocket. “This little guy said that a miraculous holder was nearby. He told me to transform and I went into this light thing and the next thing I knew, I was here, with you.”

Gina thought on this and nodded. “Yeah, with him that actually kinda makes sense.” She pointed to Sabine’s pocket. “Fluff there lives a bit outside of time, so he gets really mixed up on when things happen. I’m guessing I was nearby, technically. Just, you know, a couple years out.”

“How many grandchildren do I have?” Sabine asked, hopeful. “Did Marinette marry someone nice? Is she happy? Are you happy? Tell me everything!”

Gina put her hands up and backed away. “Um, I don’t know what I can and can’t say in this situation. Aunt Alix is really strict about time rules.”

Sabine shot Gina a look. “Alix? The little skater girl that does kick flips outside my shop is the guardian of time?”

Gina shrugged. “She’s good at it? Usually?” She looked at the grandmother and sighed. “Mom is happy, and yes, she married dad and they’re both great. They’re just on a work vacation in Germany or something this week. Emmy’s off doing college stuff and I’m hanging with you.”

“Emmy?” Sabine asked, her eyes sparkling. “You have a sister? An older sister?”

Gina cautiously nodded as Sabine started hopping up and down. “EEEEEEEEEEEE!”

Gina gave a nervous laugh. “Um, yes. Now please quit getting info out of me before I get grounded? Please?”

Sabine, still grinning, nodded. “Okay, yes. Sorry. So,” she frowned. “Your mother isn’t here?”

Gina shot Sabine a look. “I don’t think you’re supposed to meet her, Gramma. Time stuff?”

Sabine shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s just, there’s an akuma attacking the city, and your mother and Chat Noir are on a summer trip with their class. There’s no one around who can help, and the rabbit said someone nearby could, and…” She sighed. “Paris needs heroes.”

Gina thought on this for a moment. She looked around and in a low voice said, “Okay, so… When do we leave?”

Sabine blinked, confused. “What? No! You’re,” she gestured to Gina. “You’re too young! I need adult heroes for this. I’m not risking you.”

Gina crossed her arms and glared. “Hey, Gramma? Fluff looked around and saw me. I was downstairs. Granted, he was a couple decades off, but still. You need a hero?” She gestured to herself. “Here I am.”

Sabine shook her head. “Young lady, the answer is no. I’m sorry, but I need someone…”

Gina raised an eyebrow. “What? Older?”

Sabine nodded. “Yes, older. You’re fourteen, Gina. I know, remember? You just had your birthday at my bakery. At least, I’m assuming that wasn’t all that long ago for you.”

Gina looked off to the side.

“Sweetie,” Sabine said in a softer voice. “What kind of grandmother would I be if I showed up out of the blue and dragged my granddaughter off to a fight?”

“I dunno, an awesome one?"

“I can’t let a child fight if I can help it,” Sabine said.

Gina looked back to Sabine and growled out, “You let your daughter do it.”

“Excuse me?” Sabine asked, annoyed.

“You let mom do it!” Gina shouted. “You’re here, now, so you _know_! You know what she does and you still let it happen! How is this _any_ different?”

“I didn’t have a say in that,” Sabine snapped back. “But I do in this. By the time I found out about your mother, it was too late to do much about it.”

Gina stepped forward, getting right in Sabine’s face as she angrily replied, “I’ve fought giant monsters. I destroyed a mecha-pigeon! I saved a group of kids from a runaway bus, and I did that with my bare hands! I can do things just fine, but you’re just… God, you’re just like mom!”

Sabine blinked. “What?”

Gina continued, her vision blurring from tears as she yelled. “I prove myself over and over to everyone, and no one pays any attention! I do everything right, and all I hear is you’re too young, you’re not responsible enough, you don’t know what you’re doing! Screw that! I am Regina May Agreste and like it or not, I am a _Goddamn_ superhero! I’m sorry I’m not what you came here looking for, but _I am what you’ve got!_ ”

Sabine eyed her granddaughter, who was breathing hard and wiping her nose with the back of her hand. She looked so much like Marinette right then that Sabine felt her heart split in two. To Sabine, Gina was a perfect mix of confidence and terror, wrapped in a manic little shell.

Sabine considered Gina for a moment. “Who taught you to talk like this to your elders?”

Gina eyed her right back and sniffed as she adjusted her glasses. “You did. Um, and mom.”

They stared each other down.

“Fine,” Sabine said as she deflated. Gina grinned as Sabine pointed a finger at her. “But I’m in charge, understand?”

“Fine by me,” Gina said as she cracked her knuckles. “This is so rad! We’re really gonna do this together?”

Sabine nodded. “Against my better judgement. Wait, kids still say rad? Lordy. Just… If you’re coming with me then I swear to God I am bringing you home safe. Please forgive me, sweetie, but I just don’t know what else to do at this point.”

Gina waved her off. “Forgive you? Gramma, I get to fight a monster with you! This is, like, the best week ever!” Gina snorted. “I cannot wait to rub this in Emmy’s face.”

Sabine looked to her eager granddaughter and bit her lip. “You stay close. I’m not getting in trouble with your mother over this.”

Gina surprised Sabine with a quick hug. “I think we’ll be cool, Gramma. Trust me. Now go on! Do the thing.”

Sabine nodded and grabbed the pocket watch. “Okay. Here goes! Fluff, clockwise!”

Ziggy floated out as Sabine transformed and asked, “Are we gonna transform, too?”

Gina nodded, excitement written all over her face. “Hell yes, Ziggs. Let’s go bond with Gramma.”

***

After a quick trip through the Burrow, Gina and Sabine found themselves back in the bakery a second after Sabine had left. Sabine took this moment to examine her new partner’s costume. It looked like a black and white splotchy bodysuit with two curled horns resting on her hair. Her face was obscured by a black and white mask, and…

“Where did you get that jacket?” Sabine asked.

Gina pulled on the black leather jacket and smiled. “Like it? I made it myself. Kinda.”

Sabine gave her a small smile. “It’s lovely, dear. Now,” she took her umbrella off her back and twirled it in her hand. “What do I call you?”

“Faunus,” Gina said. “And thank you for asking. Most people skip that step when they’re new.” She looked to Sabine. “What about you?”

Sabine looked at herself and shrugged. “Lapin Blanc?”

Gina snorted. “Kinda on the nose, isn’t it?”

“Humph!” Sabine said as they left the bakery. “It’s no worse than Chat Noir. Seriously, I expected more out of that boy. Also, It’s cooler than yours, young lady.”

“Hey!” Gina said, frustrated. “Mine is… A name.”

As they stepped outside, Gina took her Shepherd’s crook off her back and extended it, launching herself to the nearest rooftop. Sabine examined her umbrella, and after turning it around, found it could magically extend as well. She hooked a nearby rooftop and screamed as she overshot and flung herself into the sky.

“CRAPCRAPCRAP!” Sabine cried out as she came down and… Landed just fine. “That didn’t hurt?” She asked in bewilderment.

Gina landed next to her. “Yeah, it’s pretty great. You’re like the world’s best gymnast right now. So,” she scanned the skyline. “While I admit I haven’t spent much time in this version of Paris, I’m guessing the gigantic tree in the middle of the city is not supposed to be there?”

Sabine glanced to the forest that was growing in the center of Paris, literally expanding right before their eyes. “You would be correct,” she said.

“Cool,” Gina said as she took off. “So, how do you want to do this?”

Sabine, easily keeping up with Gina, kept her eyes on the swiftly approaching trees. “Hard and fast. The more time we waste, the greater the chance you’ll get hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, but what about you?” Gina said. “After all, you’re the grandmother here.”

Sabine shot her a look. “Don’t play that card with me, sassy-pants. You drop that super suit and go for a jog with me young lady, and we’ll see who the grandmother is.”

Gina smirked and shook her head. “Geez Gramma, you’re feisty in this time. Anyway, relax. This isn’t my first akuma.”

“It’s not mine, either,” Sabine said as she leapt in front of Gina and bolted.

Gina grinned. “Damn, Gramma. Seriously?”

“Don’t curse,” Sabine called sharply over her shoulder. “You’re in costume.”

Gina blushed. “Um, sorry Ma’am.”

They came to rest on an office building overlooking the purple and green Arborial as he swung his magic axe at a fleeing businessman. They watched as he instantly turned into a tangle of vines and bark.

“Wicked,” Gina muttered.

“Quite,” Sabine agreed as she jumped off the roof and landed not twenty feet in front of the monster.

Arborial regarded Sabine for a second. “Um, are you a bunny?” He asked, confused.

Gina took the distraction as a cue. She sprang off the roof and slammed into Arborial with a flying kick. The akuma went sailing backwards and landed in a roll. To Gina’s dismay, he popped right up, his axe still in hand.

“She’s a rabbit,” Gina growled. She extended her staff slightly and spun it in her hand. I’m not gonna lie, she did it mostly to look cool.

Arborial snickered when he saw Gina. “Are you a cow?”

“Down!” Gina ducked as Sabine launched herself over her granddaughter and collided with Arborial, punching him square in the jaw. Arborial rocked backwards and slammed into a parked car.

“She can be a cow if she wants to!” Sabine shouted.

Gina blushed and muttered, “I’m a goat, Gramma.”

Sabine glanced back at her and nodded. “Of course you are, dear.”

Off to the side, cameraman Tom was doing his best to film the action and not break down screaming from fear. Nadja and the team were all attacked. It was all on him now.

“This is Tom, um, the cameraman,” he said into his headset mic. “I’m here in downtown where a bunny and, a smaller version of Captain Cowgirl have shown up to challenge Arborial. This is Tom, and, um, they appear to be punching him. No Ladybug or Chat Noir in sight. This is Tom. More to follow.”

Don’t judge. You’d probably suck just as bad if you were in his shoes.

Arborial shook off the impact as a purple butterfly appeared in front of his face. “I don’t know where they are!” Arborial shouted. “I’ve never seen these two before. Really? Are you sure? Okay, you’re the boss.” Arborial shrugged and stood, axe still in hand. “You’re not my targets, but the boss says you’ll do. Prepare to be pruned!”

Arborial took a swipe at Sabine, who ducked and brought her umbrella forward. She hooked Arborial’s leg and yanked, causing the akuma to suddenly fall backwards.

Gina took the opportunity to leap on top of him and come down hard on his stomach with her staff. Arborial let out a cry of pain as he gripped his axe and swung it at the surprised girl.

“NO!” Sabine screamed, but Gina, who already had her staff in front of her, was able to quickly block. Sabine, not seeing the block, charged in to stop the attack. Arborial saw she was open and turned, smashing her in the face with the hilt of his axe.

“GRAMMA!” Gina shouted as she kicked Arborial in the stomach and caught Sabine, who was staggering. Arborial meanwhile hopped to his feet, his face seething with anger.

“Are you okay?” Gina fussed. Sabine waved her off and nodded.

“I’m good. That stung more than anything. I’ll be fine.”

“Ideas?” Gina asked, her eyes on the akuma.

“We need to get that axe away from him,” Sabine said.

Gina looked to the monster. “Okay, give me a few seconds. I need you to be ready.”

Sabine stared, wide-eyed at Gina and snapped, “No! I’m running point. I’m not having you get hurt!”

“Hey Gramma, you know the myth about the Aloadae brothers?” Gina asked as she leapt on top of a car and whistled at the akuma.

Arborial looked up.

“This isn’t the time for Greek mythology!” Sabine shouted.

“There’s _always_ time for Greek mythology!” Gina snapped back. “Hey, jerkface!” Gina called out. “Your beard is dumb and your powers suck! I bet you’re not even a real lumberjack!”

“Gi… Faunus!” Sabine hissed. “Get down! What are you doing?!”

“Excuse me?” Arborial screamed. He held up his axe. “I am the greatest lumberjack that ever lived! With one chop, I could take your head off, little cow!”

Gina’s eye twitched. “A real lumberjack could hit me with is axe from there, no problem!”

Sabine’s eyes went wide. “Gina, what are you… Oh no.”

In point of fact, Sabine did remember the myth of the Aloadae giants.

Arborial roared as he reared back and threw his axe as hard as he could. It twirled through the air at supersonic speeds and would have hit Gina square in the face, had Sabine not screamed out, “BURROW!”

A white portal opened in front of Gina, swallowing the axe.

Arborial blinked in confusion. “Huh.”

Gina let out a shaky breath that she had been holding. “Geez, Gramma. Did you have to cut it so close?”

Sabine glared at Gina. “Was that a pun? I am not in the mood for puns right now!”

Arborial started to back away. “Um, howsabout I leave, okay? I need to get a new axe, and um…”

Both ladies turned their attention to the akuma. Gina rolled her neck and pounded her fist into her hand. “Hey, lumberquack!”

“Um, it’s Arborial?” the akuma corrected her.

Gina charged him and tackled the akuma full-force. She slammed him into a parked car and started pummeling the confused monster. “I! AM! NOT! A! COW!”

Blocks away, watching the scene unfold live on television from the comfort of her couch, Caline Bourgeois held up a glass of wine and saluted the TV. “Preach!”

“You wanna throw an axe at me?” Gina yelled. “You think you can hurt my Gramma? You wanna go? Come on, big man!”

Gina kept punching him until she was pulled off the whimpering akuma by Sabine. “That’s enough, young lady!” Sabine snapped.

Gina struggled for a moment and then deflated. “Fine!” Sabine set her down and Gina straightened her leather jacket. “I’m good.” She held up her hands. “I’m good now.”

Sabine glared at Gina for a moment and then looked back at the akuma. “So, any ideas on how to fix this without Ladybug?”

Gina considered it for a moment. “Um, well… No. Honestly, this does put us in a bind, doesn’t it?”

As both ladies considered what to do next, a white portal opened between them. An exasperated Bunnyx emerged, the akuma’s axe in her hands.

“Who threw this?” She yelled. Sabine and Gina both took a step back. Bunnyx looked absolutely livid, her teeth barred as she looked at each of them. She finally put two and two together and spotted the akuma.

“You!” She marched forward as the akuma started to scramble backwards on the ground. “So, there I am, having a mimosa, rewatching some old fights and enjoying being off work, and what suddenly slams into a monitor not THREE INCHES from my head? An axe! This axe!” She pointed. “Your axe!”

Arborial cowered. “Please don’t hurt me anymore!” The akuma whimpered as Bunnyx loomed over him. She considered the akuma for a moment and then glanced at the two heroes. “This your handiwork?” She asked.

Sabine nodded. Gina held up a hand and gave a meek wave. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Bunnyx nodded. “I figured this was what was going on. So,” she grabbed the axe and snapped it in two. A purple butterfly flew out.

“The akuma!” Gina shouted, but Alix held up a hand and smiled.

“Like I said, I figured this was going on, so I made a call.”

A yoyo flew out of the portal and caught the akuma, dragging it back into the white oval.

Gina’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Oh shit,” she muttered.

A moment later, a swarm of ladybugs flew out of the portal and enveloped everything for three blocks. Just like that, the city was returned to normal.

Sabine looked around, stunned. It was always impressive to see the ladybugs fix everything. Suddenly, her attention snapped to the portal. If the ladybugs were there, if the yoyo was there…

“Mari?” Sabine gasped. Beside her, Gina tensed up.

“So, your mom would like a word, kiddo,” Bunnyx said. She gestured to the portal.

Gina put her hands in her pockets and put her head down. “Um, but, uh, I thought maybe I could…”

“NOW, Young lady.” The voice came from the portal. It was clear, strong, and to Sabine, hauntingly familiar.

“I’m dead,” Gina sighed. She looked up at Sabine and offered a weak smile. “Well, it was fun saving the day with you, I guess. Nice to finally officially meet you.”

“Why are you in trouble?” Sabine asked.

“Um, I’m not supposed to time travel without permimssion?” She looked at Sabine and shrugged.

Sabine looked at Gina’s face and felt something snap inside of her. Without hesitating, she took Gina’s hand and started walking to the portal.

Bunnyx stepped forward, her hand out. “Um, not-me? I think you need to stay here. This is your own time and all.”

Sabine glared at Bunnyx so hard that the master of all time gulped and backed off. “We are going through together, or so help me you will never eat another pastry from my store. Am I clear, Kubdel?”

Bunnyx’s eyes went wide. She stepped aside and gestured. “After you, ladies.”

Gina looked to her grandmother who was giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Gramma? Are you sure you wanna come back with me? I think mom’s pissed.”

Sabine looked to her and smirked. “Please, dear.” She looked forward as they walked through the portal. “I’ve got this.”

***

In any other moment, the scene would have been heartwarming.

Sabine stood in the lobby of her bakery, detransformed, as Fluff floated beside her and ate a carrot. Beside him was another Fluff, also eating a carrot. Sabine watched as they did a complicated high-five. Gina had detransformed as well, and in front of them stood Marinette Agreste. She was in a white blouse and a black, knee-high skirt and glaring daggers at Gina. Her arms were crossed, and Sabine couldn’t help notice how much her future daughter looked like herself at that moment.

“So,” Marinette said in a short voice. “I was in Germany meeting with a department chain owner. I stepped out to get a glass of water after a two hour negotiation, in _German_ mind you, when Alix appeared and dragged me out of my meeting, out of Germany, across time and space itself, to find you,” she pointed at Gina for emphasis.

Gina shrank a bit. “Um…”

“Why were you travelling through time and space, young lady?” Marinette said in her best mom voice. “You _know_ it’s dangerous to mess with time. Aunt Alix has talked with you about it. _I’ve_ talked with you about it. Didn’t I tell you about the time your father…”

“Sweetie?” Sabine interrupted. Marinette looked to her mom and her face instantly softened.

“Oh God, I am so sorry. Um, hi mom?” Marinette said in the most awkward tone Gina had ever heard from her mother. It was jarring to see how fast just a word from Sabine had derailed her mom. “Sorry, I’ll get you home soon. I just need…”

Sabine stepped forward, putting herself slightly between Gina and Marinette. “Honey? I was the one who took the miraculous. This was my fault.”

Marinette’s eyes went wide. “Wait, what?”

Sabine nodded and continued in a level tone. “I was the one who did all the space time stuff. I came here looking for help.” She glanced back at Gina and winked. “Gina here volunteered to help me, seeing as how there was no one else available. If it hadn’t been for her, the akuma we were fighting would have hurt lord only knows how many people.”

Marinette blinked in shock. “So… You took Fluff? This was _you_?”

Sabine smirked at her daughter and crossed her arms. “All me. So, if you’d like to continue to lecture my completely innocent granddaughter, please feel free to steer it my direction.”

Marinette blushed and stuttered. “Um, I, erm, really?”

Sabine lowered her gaze a bit. “Why didn’t you just ask her?”

“Beg pardon?” Marinette cocked her head slightly.

“Sweetie,” Sabine said. “I get it. Do you remember when you stole an entire tray of croissants that I was expecting for the lunchtime rush?”

Marinette looked off to the side, but didn’t answer.

“You put them in your backpack and took them all to school. When I came to the school to find out why you had taken every croissant in the bakery, you told me it was because Juleka was sick and you were worried that she hadn’t had enough to eat.”

Gina snickered. “Really?”

“I was six,” Marinette said, slightly deflated.

“You did something that got me worked up, and I was a bit upset, I admit it. But honey, I couldn’t stay mad. You’d done something that, while it admittedly caused a problem with my day, was to help someone. You saw a person in need and reacted.” She leaned in. “Do you remember what I said to you?”

Marinette shrugged and looked off to the side. “Um, kind of?”

“I said, ‘sweetie, tell mommy exactly what happened’, and I let you explain yourself _before_ I tore into you. Now, if I can grant you that courtesy, don’t you think you can do so for Gina?”

“Gramma just showed up,” Gina said, some steel creeping back into her voice. “She needed help, and you guys were off doing stuff, so I stepped up.”

Marinette sighed and nodded. “Okay, okay. I can see where this is going.” She looked to Gina. “Gina, thank you for stepping up and helping your grandmother, and I’m sorry I was cross. I was surprised, and concerned, and I’ve been forced to speak German for hours which I absolutely hate, and I didn’t have the facts.”

Gina shrugged and smiled a little. “S’cool. I mean, the odds of this not being my fault are admittedly low. I would’ve done the same.”

Marinette opened her arms and Gina, rolling her eyes but still smiling, stepped forward and hugged her mom. Marinette smiled as she looked to Sabine. “This is so weird, seeing you here. Um, so, you knew? Like, I knew you knew about some of it, but,” she gestured to Sabine. “Bunnyx?”

Alix, who had been pouring herself a coffee from behind the counter, cleared her throat. “Yeah, this was before you gave it to me. Fortunately for you all, the Burrow tends to get confused on who’s who. I’ve personally bumped into several miraculous users while in there.”

“Is that how I sound to you, by the way?” Sabine asked Marinette. “You were really laying the mom on thick there. Is that my doing?”

Marinette smiled. “A little bit? You did tend to get pretty uptight about things.”

Sabine sighed. “I figured. It’s just… Hey, come here.”

Marinette let go of Gina and hugged her mother, who gave her a tight squeeze. “So, you grow up to be all successful, marry Adrien, and have this little firecracker?”

Marinette’s eyes went wide. She spun around and snapped, “Gina! We don’t spill future stuff!”

Sabine gently bopped Marinette on the head. “She didn’t. I have eyes, dear. Look at her face! She has Adrien’s cheekbones, eye color, all of it. Also, she was Artemis, wasn’t she? I saw her on the Ladyblog.”

Gina smirked. “How’d you know?”

“Your Greek myth reference,” Sabine said with a smile. “I figured you would have studied up on your namesake.”

“Heh,” Gina said, nodding. “Yeah.”

“So,” Sabine said, looking around awkwardly. “Do I stay? Should I head home? I mean, the akuma is taken care of, but I don’t want to mess anything up for all of you…”

“I got this,” Alix said, downing her coffee. “I’ll get you home, Ms. Cheng.”

Sabine nodded, and then looked to Gina and Marinette. “Say,” Sabine said, thinking. “Mari dear? You’re on a business trip?”

Marinette looked around and shrugged. “I mean, technically? Adrien and I have two more days of meetings. Alix, can you drop me back off afterwards?”

“Sure, boss.” Alix took out her phone and checked it.

“Hmm,” Sabine said. “Germany, eh? Well, right now in my timeline, you’re off in Spain with your class. Do you remember that?”

Alix looked up and snickered. She elbowed Marinette. “Yeah, Mars. Do you remember?”

Marinette turned beet red and hissed, “Shut UP Alix! That was years ago!”

Sabine raised an eyebrow. “ _What_ was years ago?”

“Nothing!” Marinette practically shouted. “Nothing. It was a great trip!”

“Wait.” Sabine studied her daughter’s face. “Waaaaiiit.” Sabine shot Marinette a deadpan look. “ _How_ great?” She locked eyes with Marinette, who wasn’t budging, so she changed targets and focused on Alix. “Well?”

Alix looked from Sabine to her boss, her best friend, the Guardian of the miraculous, and the greatest hero in the world, and said fuck it.

“Mari lost her virginity to Adrien during the bonfire.”

“ **ALIX**!” Marinette shouted.

“What?” Alix asked, here eyes wide with fake innocence. “You two went down the beach for, like an hour, and when you came back, you were both beet red and your bottom was on backwards. Also, Alya spilled, like, 30 seconds after you swore her to secrecy.”

Gina shook her head and shuddered. “That is so gross.”

Marinette went beyond red and managed a delightful shade of purple. “Alix, thank you. This at least explains why I was grounded the second I got back. Now, please take my mother home before I strangle you with my bare hands.”

“No prob, boss.” Alix grinned and popped a stick of chewing gum in her mouth.

“Dear?” Sabine said in a hesitant voice. “Can I ask a favor before I go?”

Marinette gestured wildly. “Sure! Why not? Why the Hell not? This is my day. What can I do for you, mom?”

Sabine closed her eyes and smiled as she shook her head. “Well first off, if it helps, I have little room to talk. Your father and I first got to, well, know each other on our class trip to Versailles. Hall of mirrors, indeed.”

Gina let out a guffaw. “Damn, Gramma’s got game!”

Sabine nodded and fist bumped Gina. “Yes, I do. I do have game.”

Marinette put her face in her hands. “Mom, please stop.”

“I’m just saying, I understand. Still, I don’t necessarily approve, young lady…”

Marinette glanced up from her hands. “I’m 37, Mom.”

Alix smirked. “You weren’t _then_.”

“And second, well, this may be asking a lot but, I could use some help this week, what with you being gone and all.” She glanced to Gina, who shot her a confused look. “Would you mind if, well, if Gina came back with me?”

Marinette instantly let go if her embarrassment in place of concern. “Mom, I don’t know if that’s a good idea…”

“Dear,” Sabine said. “I just found out I have grandkids. Now, I have the opportunity to get to know one of them.” She lowered her voice. “Don’t take this from me.”

Marinette looked to Gina, who was smiling. “What do you think, kiddo?”

“I’m good,” Gina said. “This version of Gramma is a badass. She snaps at me and punched a guy in the face.”

“So, that’s a yes from you,” Marinette said. “But what about mom? I mean, my mom? I mean…”

“I’m good.”

The group turned to see old Sabine leaning in the doorframe with a cup of coffee. She leaned over and clinked it with Alix’s. “Truth be known, I was hoping to get the morning prep done before I got here, if that makes any sense. Gina? Go get your bag, dear.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Gina said, grinning. Marinette watched as she bolted upstairs.

“Are you sure about this, mom?” Marinette asked, looking from one Sabine to the other. “I mean, you need help and you,” she looked to her past mother. “This is a lot to take in, and…”

“We’ll be fine,” the Sabines said in unison.

Young Sabine patted Marinette on the shoulder. “Dear? She strikes me as someone who is eager to please her peers, and who was terrified of making you upset. This might be good for her.”

“She sees you like you’re a God,” Older Sabine said. “Sweetie, the more she sees that you’re a person just like her, the more she’s going to come out of her shell.”

“Am I that bad?” Marinette asked, paling.

Alix shook her head. “Naw. You’re stricter than I figured you’d get as an adult, but to be fair, we’ve seen some pretty heavy stuff.”

“This won’t mess with the timeline?” Marinette asked.

Alix shook her head. “Actually? This _solidifies_ it. Trust me.”

Gina came bounding down the stairs, a duffle bag over her shoulder. “I’m ready!”

“Not yet, you’re not,” Marinette said. She held out her hand. “Ziggy.”

Gina’s eyes went wide. “What? No way! Mom, you promised!”

“I know I did,” Marinette said, her voice firm. “And now, I’m asking you to trust me. Ziggy. Now.”

Sabine stepped forward, “Mari…”

Alix put her hand on Sabine’s shoulder and shook her head. “This is what happens,” she said in a solemn voice.

Gina huffed, and stiffly removed her barrettes. She angrily slapped them in Marinette’s hand and grumbled, “Here.”

Marinette smiled. “Thank you, dear. Now,” She slid the barrettes into her pocket and reached up to remove her earrings.

Gina nearly fell over when Marinette handed them to her. “Sorry, but holding two miraculous can wear a person down over time. I know red isn’t really your color, but it wasn’t mine, either.”

“Mom?” Gina asked, confused and shocked. “What… What are you doing?”

Marinette looked to Alix. “Paris needs a protector until young-me gets back. One that can remove akumas and purify them. There’s no one I would trust more with Tikki than you.”

“What about Emmy?” Gina asked, stunned.

Marinette shook her head. “In this situation, I think you have more experience.”

“What about dad?” Gina asked, still stunned.

“Especially dad,” Marinette said grimly. “I’ve been down that road before.”

“Mom, are you sure?” Gina asked, still humbled. “I mean, it’s Tikki. She’s… You’re…”

“I’ll be fine with Ziggy,” Marinette said. “When I get back and you’re done at, um, past grandma’s house, Alix will bring you home and we’ll trade. Sound good?”

Gina nodded, her face grinning so wide she felt like she was going to split in two. She tackled her mother with a strong hug. “This is so cool! Thanks, mom.”

“It’s the least I could do after making you feel bad. Now,” Marinette took her daughter by the shoulders and locked eyes with her. “Be good. Do as they say, and remember that in that timeline, no one knows who I am.”

“No one?” Sabine asked, smiling.

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Okay, mom and Caline, erm, Ms. Bourgeois knows who I am. And Alix. And maybe Juleka. Possibly Chloé. But that’s it!” Marinette squeezed Gina’s shoulders. “I’m trusting you with the world, kiddo.”

“I know,” Gina said, hopping in place. “I won’t mess up. I promise.”

Marinette hugged her daughter and kissed her on the cheek. “I love you, you know that?”

Gina hugged her back. “I love you, too.”

Gina and young Sabine waved as they left with Alix, sliding into the Burrow and out of sight. As soon as they were gone, Marinette turned to her mother and asked, “You fought an akuma?”

Old Sabine smiled and patted her daughter on the arm as she headed to the back. “I kicked its ass, dear.”

***

That evening, as Gina helped Sabine set the table, Tom came down from his post-work nap. He yawned and stretched in the doorway, stopping only when he noticed Gina scooting by him with a bowl of vegetables. “Pardon me,” she said.

Tom watched her go by and turned to Sabine. “Um, dear? That Gina girl is back, and she appears to be setting our table.”

Sabine nodded and slid a roast chicken out of the oven. “Yes. She’ll be staying with us until Mari gets back next week.”

“Oh?” Tom asked. “Did something happen?”

Sabine glanced over at Tom and smiled. “I talked with some distant relatives this afternoon and discovered much to my surprise, that Gina is my aunt’s, son’s, cousin’s daughter’s little girl, on her mother’s side, of course.”

“Of course,” Tom agreed, confused.

“So, to get to know her better, I figured I would invite her to stay with us for a bit.”

“Oh,” Tom said, drawing little lines in the air for a moment. “She’s…Your mother’s, daughter’s, sister’s, cousin’s, nephew’s, niece?”

“Close enough,” Sabine said with a shrug.

***

That night, after a massive meal and video game time with her grandparents (who knew her grandmother was such a vicious Mecha Strike player?), Gina sat on the balcony of her mother’s room and let out a content sigh. In her hands was a sketchpad she had borrowed from her mother’s room and a sketch that she had just finished putting the finishing touches on. Beside her, munching on a cookie, floated Tikki.

“So, Gramma totally knows about you all?” Gina asked.

Tikki nodded. “Yep! She even used me, once.”

Gina shook her head. “Wild. And mom, like, this time mom doesn’t know?”

Tikki shrugged. “Maybe? I love Marinette, and she’s the greatest Ladybug there ever was, but between you and me? Your mom was a bit dense at times.”

Gina waited until Tikki finished her cookie and let out an adorable burp. “Excuse me,” the polite kwami said as she covered her mouth.

“It’s cool,” Gina laughed. “Dude, I live with Ziggy. You’re, well, don’t tell him, but you’re a bit of an upgrade.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Tikki said.

Gina looked out over the city. “So, are you okay if I, um, you know?”

Tikki giggled. “Go for it, Gina.”

Gina held up the sketchpad for Tikki to see. “So, be honest. How hard would this be?”

Tikki thought about it, her chin resting in her hand. “Not very. If you start with one look and change it up, it’s harder. This is your first time, so it shouldn’t be hard to do. Just focus.”

Gina closed her eyes and focused hard. “Okay. Okay.”

Her eyes snapped open as she said, “Tikki, spots on!”

Sabine emerged onto the balcony in time to see a red flash of light. She nearly dropped the cup of cocoa in her hand when she saw Gina turn to face her. Gina, thinking she was alone, let out a surprised yelp.

“Oh my,” Sabine said, stunned. She took in the sight before her. Black laced boots. A black bodysuit with red spots. A belt sitting lazily on her hip. A red leather jacket. The red mask on Gina’s faced highlighted her green, fiery eyes as her mop of brown hair fluttered in the wind.

Sabine nodded and smiled. “I approve. You look like, well, _you_ , dear.”

Gina offered a sheepish grin. “Thanks, Gramma. Um,” she looked out at the city. “I was gonna take Tikki for a spin. You, um, wanna come with?”

Sabine shook her head. “Dear, I already put Fluff back. I don’t think I should mess with time anymore, do you?”

Gina shrugged. “Yeah, but, like, there’s others in there.”

Sabine’s eyes darted to the ladder. “…Do you think she’ll mind?”

Gina shrugged. “Well, if she does, you could always ask her how the bonfire was.”

Sabine spit out the cocoa she had been sipping. Gina was polite enough not to comment as Sabine wiped her mouth off.

“Where did you learn to be so snarky, young lady?” Sabine asked.

“From you,” Gina shot back.

Sabine smiled. “I love you too, dear. I’ll be right back.” Gina shook her head and giggled.

Not two minutes later, Sabine came back up the ladder. This time, she was in a gray bodysuit with pink highlights. A jump rope was around her waist, and mouse ears were coming out of her hair.

“Mullo?” Gina asked, smirking.

Sabine nodded. “Mullo. I had no idea there was a mouse.”

Gina considered her for a moment. “So, should I call you Multimom? Grammouse? What works for you?”

Sabine shrugged. “Don’t be a brat. I can workshop the title.”

Gina considered Sabine’s outfit. “It’s a good look. For you, I mean. I’m not a mouse gal, but it works. For you.”

Sabine took her jump rope off and flung one end towards a building ledge. The rope instantly caught. “So, are you going to stand there and complain about my fashion choices, or are we going to go for a run?”

Gina watched as her grandmother, a woman who in her time had taught her to bake when she was five and who had just gotten a hip replacement, jumped off the roof and swung across a busy street before flipping through the air.

As they sailed over the city, trading insults and racing from landmark to landmark, Gina and Sabine found they were both genuinely happy. After all, it was their first week together as grandparent and grandkid, and both of them couldn’t wait to see what was coming next.

**Author's Note:**

> Another Gina story!
> 
> I don't mean to keep coming back to this, but I just love the possibilities of this timeline. Don't worry. I'm working on other stuff, too. Let me know if you liked it (or if you're tired of this timeline), and I'll see you again, soon.


End file.
